ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Power
POWERGRID provides support to District Administration Kargil  under CSR
Power Grid Corporation of India Limited , a Maharatna CPSU under Ministry of Power handed over one Vaccine Delivery van, twelve ice lined refrigerators and nine deep freezers to district administration of Kargil today. On this occasion, Shri Mohsin Ali, Executive Counsellor  flagged-off the Vaccine Delivery van.
The items costing ₹29 lakhs have been handed over by POWERGRID under its CSR initiative. The vaccine delivery van shall benefit residents of far-flung areas of the UT and help in achieving greater vaccination drive. With the help of freezers, COVID-19 related and other vaccines, can be stored, preserved and transported easily. It will support to tackle logistic challenges of vaccine distribution in Kargil.
POWERGRID is also supporting Ladakh region in rural electrification infrastructure in far flung villages under various schemes of Government of India like PMDP, DDUGJY where, in the Drass Tehsil of Kargil district one 66/11 kV Sub-station is being established, which will feed various adjoining villages and shall improve power availability. Under these schemes, POWERGRID is electrifying 23 villages costing ₹57 crore in Kargil district. Further, under PMDP scheme 66 kV power line network will also be strengthened at a cost of about ₹30 crore.
In order to boost up the employment opportunity for local youth, POWERGRID has also planned special recruitment drive of junior engineers specifically from Ladakh region.
POWERGRID has built a state-of-the-art 220/66 kV Gas Insulated sub-station at Kargil, which connects the region to the national grid. POWERGRID has 171,950 circuit km of transmission lines, 262 Sub-stations and more than 444,738 MVA of transformation capacity. With the adoption of latest technological tools and techniques, enhanced use of automation and digital solutions, POWERGRID has been able to maintain average transmission system availability >99%. With the recent transfer of 220 kV Srinagar-Leh transmission systems to POWERGRID, its responsibility has increased manifold to maintain the system availability as per standards and provide reliable power to entire Ladakh region.
Ministry of Corporate Affairs
MCA approves withdrawal of another 7,338 prosecutions pending before various courts under Special Arrears Clearance Drive-II towards promoting Ease of Doing Business and decriminalisation of compoundable offences under Companies Act, 2013
Withdrawal will lead to 21.86% reduction in pending prosecutions being pursued by Central Government
Prosecutions related to serious non-compoundable offences such as cheating, fraud, acceptance of deposits, pending charges, etc. not considered for withdrawal
Earlier in 2017, Special Drive-I resulted in withdrawal of 14,247 prosecutions
In firm commitment towards its objective of promoting Ease of Doing Business and in furtherance of decriminalisation of compoundable offences under the Companies Act, 2013, the Central Government through the Ministry of Corporate Affairs  has taken a decision under its Special Arrears Clearance Drive-II to withdraw another 7,338 prosecutions, which have remained pending before various courts.
This would be a significant decrease of 21.86% in the pending prosecutions being pursued by the Central Government. The Government’s “Action Plan for Special Arrears Clearance Drives” for reducing the number of pending litigations had previously resulted in withdrawal of 14,247 prosecutions during the Special Drive-I in the year 2017.
The MCA had constituted a committee to undertake a thorough review of all the pending litigations. Long pending Prosecutions for compoundable offences have been identified for withdrawal. Prosecutions related to serious non-compoundable offences such as cheating, fraud, acceptance of deposits, pending charges, etc. have not been considered for withdrawal. This decisive step will also unclog the courts as well as foster the growth of corporate sector in India, while maintaining a healthy corporate governance framework.
The cases being withdrawn under the Special Drive-II are corollary to the amendment brought out by the Government vide the Companies  Act, 2020 for decriminalisation of offences under the Companies Act, 2013 to facilitate the smooth functioning of businesses as well as minimise lengthy litigations before courts.
Besides, it is also part of the principle that the Central Government should not be a compulsive litigant, that these drives are being undertaken.
Ministry of Education
Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan questions rationale of Karnataka Government over scrapping of NEP in the state
Minister raises serious concerns about implications and repercussions of the decision on the younger generation
Union Education & Skill Development Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan while addressing media today raised serious concerns over the Karnataka Government’s decision to scrap NEP in the state. The Minister asked about the repercussions, which such a decision will have for the younger generation.
He asked whether the Karnataka Government was opposed to early childhood care and education as a part of formal education, wondering if the State Government did not want children to achieve Foundational Literacy and Numeracy by the time they complete grade 2. He questioned if the State Government opposed Indian toys, games, play-based learning and ‘Chennemane’ in Karnataka.
He further asked if the State Government opposed education in Kannada and other Bharatiya Bhasha, along with the conducting of examinations, like NEET, CUET, JEE in Kannada, in a transparent manner.
He questioned if the State Government opposed multidisciplinary education, integration of vocational education, physical education, arts and sports as critical areas of study in school education. Does the State Government not want youth of Karnataka to avail world-class research facilities through the National Research Foundation, he further asked.
He questioned the decision of the State Government as to why it did not want students to learn about new and emerging technologies and consequent life skills in the 21st century, while utilising new textbooks relevant for 21st century education. He expressed concerns over the missed opportunities for earning while learning for Karnataka students. Does the State Government not want teachers’ capacity building to be strengthened through reimagining DIETs and SCERTs as centers-of-excellence, Shri Pradhan further questioned. It’s a decision which would impact the collective future of the state,known for its IT prowess, in the future.
He asked the State Government not to weaponize Education, as such statements on NEP compromise the interests of students of Karnataka.
Ministry of Mines
Thirty Critical Minerals List Released
Stepped up Focus on Exploration of Critical Minerals
Government has released a list of 30 critical minerals for India. These minerals are Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE,Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium,Zirconium, Selenium and Cadmium.
Ministry of Mines has increased focus on exploration of these minerals in the country through Geological Survey of India  and other agencies. The details of exploration projects taken up by GSI in last 3 years on critical minerals in India are as under:
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Field Season
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2020-21
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2021-22
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2022-23
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2023-24
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Total projects on critical mineral
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59
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118
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123
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122
A joint venture company namely Khanij Bidesh India Ltd.  has been incorporated with the equity contribution from three Central Public Sector Enterprises namely, National Aluminium Company Ltd, Hindustan Copper Ltd and Mineral Exploration Company Ltd with the objective to identify and acquire overseas mineral assets of critical & strategic nature such as Lithium, Cobalt & others so as to ensure supply side assurance. KABIL has engagements with countries like Argentina, Australia etc. to acquire critical & strategic minerals assets.
This information was given by Union Minister of Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs Shri Pralhad Joshi in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Railways
Transportation of essential commodities to various parts of the country by Indian Railways continues at full speed
Indian Railways loads 71261 wagons of freight in last two days –
48614 of essential goods and 22647 of other important commodities
While the country is completely locked down due to the pandemic of Coronavirus, Indian Railways continues to work round the clock to ensure availability of essential commodities through its uninterrupted freight services.
On 28th March 2020, total 695 rakes/35942 wagons were loaded out of which 442 rakes/24412 wagons were loaded for essential commodities . This includes 54 rakes/2405 wagons of foodgrains, 3 rakes/126 wagons of sugar, 1 rake/42 wagons of salt, 1 rake/50 wagons of edible oil, 356 rakes/20519 wagons of coal, and 27 rakes/1270 wagons of petroleum products.
On 29th March 2020, total 684 rakes/35319 wagons were loaded out of which 437 rakes/24202 wagons were loaded for essential commodities. This includes 40 rakes/1727 wagons of foodgrains, 5 rakes/210 wagons of sugar, 1 rake/42 wagons of salt, 1 rake/42 wagons of edible oil, 363 rakes/20904 wagons of coal, and 27 rakes/1277 wagons of petroleum products.
It may be noted that Ministry of Home Affairs has allowed movement of goods across the country to ensure that supply chain keeps fully operational. Ministry of Railways and MHA officials are in constant touch with State Governments to sort out operational issues to ensure smooth handling at terminals.
Ministry of Defence
COAS Gen Bipin Rawat commends winners of National level essay competition at CLAWS
With the aim of promoting a strategic culture and interest in national security related issues amongst the youth, the Centre for Land Warfare Studies , New Delhi, the Think Tank of the Indian Army, had organised a national-level essay-writing competition on the theme of National Security.
The COAS praised the participants for their effort and said that initiatives like these will go a long way in fostering national security awareness amongst the citizens of the country in general, and the youth in particular.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
220.12 cr Total Vaccine doses  have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
46,450 doses administered in last 24 hours
India's Active caseload currently stands at 2,503
Active cases stand at 0.01%
Recovery Rate currently at 98.8%
275 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
4,41,46,330
228 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
91.17 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 1,99,731 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Ministry of Rural Development
DAY-NRLM dedicates 50,000 Women SHG members as Business Correspondents to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
Proposal to deploy at least one B C Sakhi in the rural areas by the end of 2023-24 under 'One GP one B C Sakhi' mission
To commemorate the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, 50,000 women SHG members are dedicated to the nation as B C Sakhi in the rural areas during the week, 24th to 30th September, 2021. These Business Correspondents will provide doorstep services in every Gram Panchayat . The initiative has been named as the “One GP one B C Sakhi” mission. It is proposed to deploy at least one B C Sakhi in the rural areas by the end of 2023-24. More than 50,000 SHG women who have been trained and certified as B C Sakhi are already providing services at the doorsteps in rural areas.
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission  under the Ministry of Rural Development has initiated a novel process of engagement of women Self Help Group  members as Business Correspondents  for providing basic banking services in the rural areas of the country. To boost cashless/digital transactions amongst SHGs and their members, State Rural Livelihoods Missions  have been advised to coordinate with different banks including Regional Rural Banks  operating in their state to engage SHG members as their BCs.
The women SHG members are provided one week's residential training at Rural Self Employment Training Institutes  established by the Lead bank of the district and they have to pass an online examination conducted by the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance , Mumbai for getting the certification as per guidelines issued by Reserve Bank of India that each business correspondent should be IIBF certified.
96% of the women SHG members in the rural areas who have appeared for this examination have cleared it. More than 54000 Women SHG members have been trained and certified by IIBF as Business Correspondent so far. The cost of training and IIBF Certification is borne by the Ministry of Rural Development.
DAY–NRLM has also signed a memorandum of understanding  with CSC e-Governance India Ltd  to engage women SHG members as 'DigiPay Sakhi' to provide basic banking facilities in the rural areas. Under the MoU, CSC e-Governance India Ltd provides one Finger Print Device also to SHGs members to start basic banking service through DigiPay Application on their mobile handset. The cost of the Finger Print Device is also borne by the Ministry of Rural Development. These DigiPay Sakhis will also provide payment facilities for MGNREGA and other subsidies under Direct Benefit Transfer  to the rural community at doorsteps.
All the SRLMs have conducted district level programmes and ensured Jan Bhagidari including the participation of local public representatives, participating bankers, CSC representatives, women SHG members and other important functionaries in the districts to achieve the goal of dedicating 50,000 Women SHG members as Business Correspondents.
Ministry of Home Affairs
NDMA conducts training programme for CBRN emergencies at Hyderabad airport
The National Disaster Management Authority  is conducting a basic training programme at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. The five-day training programme, aimed at enhancing the preparedness of Airport Emergency Handlers  to respond to CBRN emergencies at the airports, started today.
CBRN emergencies pertain to threats emanating due to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear material.
The training programme is being conducted in collaboration with the Airport Authority of India , Institute of Nuclear Medicine & Allied Sciences  and National Disaster Response Force .
Handling CBRN emergencies need specialised skills and efforts. In fact, even a small CBRN related event can cause panic among people at the airports. This training programme will improve the CBRN safety at our airports by enabling the AEHs to handle any CBRN emergency.
The programme consists of lectures as well as field training, including live demonstrations of detection and decontamination including use of Personal Protective Equipment . Besides equipping the AEHs to handle CBRN emergencies, the training programme will also enable them to provide medical first aid and initial psycho-social support.
Experts from stakeholder departments such as Department of Atomic Energy , INMAS, National Centre for Disease Control , National Institute of Mental Health & Neuro Sciences  will train the participants.
A total of 50 participants representing various agencies responsible for operation and maintenance of the airport will be trained on various aspects of CBRN emergencies. Another 150 working level staff will be sensitized on the subject in a half day module.
This is the seventh in a series of such programmes being conducted at airports across the country to enable AEHs to respond suitably till the arrival of specialised response teams. Six batches have already been trained - one each in Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Varanasi, Patna and Ahmedabad.
Ministry of Culture
Ministry of Culture launches Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav mobile app
Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs, Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi today launched the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav mobile App to enable all single point access to all information related to the 75th anniversary celebrations of India’s independence. The app available in android and iOS has details of all the activities and events happening under the AKAM banner. It is a free for download app with no age restrictions.
Download Links
https://play.google.com/store/apps/azadikaamritmahotsav
https://apps.apple.com/in/app/azadi-ka-amrit-mahotsav
Additional Secretary, Ministry of Culture Shri Rohit Singh made a presentation that highlighted the details of the app.
Sections like ‘What's New’ and ‘Weekly Highlights’ allow the users to stay connected to all current Amrit Mahotsav celebrations and event details across India and the world.
The Home page enables users to a get an overview of the interesting and wide-ranging content inside the app. These include among others links to sections such Digital District Repository and Unsung Heroes which are part of an overall section titled History Corner.
The ‘Children’s Corner’ celebrates the enthusiastic participation of young India in activities related to Amrit Mahotsav. The Events and Activities Section has details of the Amrit Mahotsav celebrations organised by the various Ministries and States/ Union Territories and has a ‘Search’ function for easy and direct access from the database of ongoing events.
Shri Rohit Singh in his presentation also touched upon the 3 competitions that had been announced by the Prime Minister in his Mann Ki Baat address of 24.10.2021. These include celebrating the patriotic fervour of new India by writing patriotic songs ‘DeshbhaktiGeet Writing Competition’, connecting to our timeless traditions via ‘Lori Writing Competition’ and celebrating the colours of life by participating in the ‘Rangoli Making Competition’. The writing competitions encourage use of mother tongue and other languages to enable maximum ‘Jan Bhagidari’ in such activities of Amrit Mahotsav while the ‘Rangoli Making’ competition encourages creative expressions.
More details about the competitions available on https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/competitions.htm
Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of it’s people, culture and achievements. This Mahotsav is dedicated to the people of India who have not only been instrumental in bringing India thus far in it’s evolutionary journey but also hold within them the power and potential to enable Prime Minister Modi’s vision of activating India 2.0, fuelled by the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh to inaugurate 3-Day symposium on "Imagining India@2047 through Innovations"
A three-day Symposium on the theme 'Imagining India @2047 through Innovation', will be held in Chennai during 07-09th March, 2022. The Symposium is being organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances  in collaboration with the IIT Madras. The Symposium will take place at the IITM Research Park, Chennai.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State  of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Minister of State  Ministry of Earth Sciences, Minister of state for PMO, Minister of state for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Minister of State for Department of Atomic Energy and Minister of State for Department of Space will Inaugurate the Symposium on 8th March, 2022.
Prof V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT, Madras will present the Welcome Address during the Inaugural Session. Shri V Srinivas, Secretary, DAR&PG, Government of India will also address the inaugural session. A film on e-Governance Initiatives in India, made by DAR&PG will be screened. Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Senior Professor, IIT, Madras will present Vote of thanks during the Inaugural Session.
The symposium is an effort to bring the Government and Citizens together by use of digital technology pursuing next generation reforms and innovations with policy objective of "Maximum Governance, Minimum Government", entailing Government process Re-Engineering, Universal access to e-services, excellence in digital initiatives at district level and excellence in adopting emerging technologies and use of lC'T management.
The Government of India is formulating "Vision India@2047" to identify long terms goals and corresponding short term defined outcomes for this decade with timelines and milestones. The vision is being developed without being constrained by current institutional framework, and suggest appropriate structural and institutional reforms to attain the envisaged vision. Around 200 participants are chosen for nucleus and cell teams comprising of one lAS officer, a young faculty member and a young entrepreneur who will sit together for discussion. There will be 10 such cells. This 4-member nucleus will be the basic think-tank during the Symposium and thereafter next twenty years to figure out, how to take India forward.
Each cell will be assigned a problem in 10 different themes like infrastructure, Energy, Water, Agriculture, Education, Health Care, Urban housing etc., that India faces and where considerable progress will be required over the next twenty-five years. The overall theme will be 'Innovation in Digital Governance'.
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Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Ministry has accredited 247 sports academies across the country under Khelo India Scheme: Shri Anurag Thakur
Traditional sports like Mallakhamb, Kalaripayyattu, Gatka, Thang-Ta and Yogasana have been included in forthcoming edition of Khelo India Youth Games at Panchkula, Haryana: Sports Minister
‘Sports’ being a State subject, the responsibility of development of sports, including construction of sportsgrounds at the village level, promotion of sports in colleges, establishment of Sports Universities and Colleges, promotion of traditional sports in order to give international recognition to such sports and overall development of sports rests primarily with the respective State/Union Territory Governments. The Union Government supplements their efforts by bridging critical gaps. However, under the “Utilisation and creation/upgradation of sports infrastructure” component of the Khelo India Scheme, this Ministry has sanctioned 289 sports infrastructure projects of various categories across the country, including schools, colleges and universities, on the basis of proposals received from the States/UTs from time to time. This Ministry has also established the National Sports University at Imphal, Manipur, which is a first of its kind university, to promote education in the areas of Sports Sciences, Sports Technology, Sports Coaching, besides functioning as the national training centre for selected sports disciplines. The National Sports University will cater to students from all over the country. Further, under the “Support to National/Regional/State Sports Academies” component of the Khelo India Scheme, this Ministry has accredited 247 sports academies across the country.
The ‘Promotion of rural and indigenous/tribal games’ component of the Khelo India Scheme, is specifically dedicated to the development and promotion of rural and indigenous/tribal games in the country. Indigenous/traditional games of Mallakhamb , Kalaripayattu, Gatka, Thang-Ta, Yogasana and Silambam have been identified for promotion under this component. Grants are sanctioned for infrastructure development, equipment support, appointment of coaches, training of coaches and scholarships under this Component. Further, scholarship to 283 medal winners of Mallakhamb, Kalaripayyattu, Gatka and Thang-Ta  have been provided by this Ministry, out of which 31 winners  in the discipline of Mallakhamb are from Madhya Pradesh. In addition, Mallakhamb, Kalaripayyattu, Gatka, Thang-Ta and Yogasana have also been included in the forthcoming edition of Khelo India Youth Games at Panchkula, Haryana.
This information was given by Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Anurag Thakur in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.